Ments



r z sheets sheet 2;" J G. MATHEWS.

Gar Coupling.

No. 237,568. Patented Feb. 8,1881.

I I I 2n I 1 Z-4.

Nrrnn 'rarns ATENT twice.

JOHN C. MATHEWS, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, OF SEVEN-TWELFTHS TO JOHN J. BONNER, OF SAME PLACE.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 237,568, dated February 8, 1881.

Application filed January 15, 1880.

To all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN G. MATHEWS, of Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements on a Oar-Coupling; and

I do hereby declare that the following description of my said invention, taken in connection with the accompanying sheets of drawings, forms a full, clear, and exact specification, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention has general reference to carcouplings for railway and other cars; and its object is the production of an automaticallyoperating coupling using a link as a means for making connection.

My invention consists in the peculiar combination of parts and details of construction,

as hereinafter first fully set forth and described, and then pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings already referred to, Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of a set of draw-heads, illustrating the device in a coupled state. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of 2 5 a draw-head with the spur, link, and lifter removed. Fig. 3 is a front elevation. Fig. 4 is a plan. Fig. 5 is an elevation of the spur de tached. Figs. 6 and 7 are sectional elevations, illustrating the various positions of the link 0 and lifter. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the lifter. Fig. 9 is a sectional view of the links; and Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the wedge. Ain the drawings represents the draw-heads, connected with or secured to railway-cars in 5 the usual manner. The bodies of these drawheads consists each, essentially, of the bottom plate, B, two cheeks, O 0, two guide-cheeks, D D, and the rear wall, E. The bottom plate, B, has an angular aperture, F, and in front a sloping depression on notch G, while the back wall, E, has a recess, H, said aperture F, notch G, and recess H serving as a means of securing a spur, I, within the head.

The spur I, Fig. 5, consists of the standard 4 5 at, having on its forward lower end a tapering projection, b, and on its upper extremity two rearwardly-pointing projections, c, and of the base-plate 61, having a tenon, e, and a notch, f. The sides of the spur have notches g.

The rear wall, E, has two guide-cheeks, D

D, already mentioned, which extend from above the upper edge of the said wall downward to the recess H, and their front edges are inclined, as shown at 1, Fig. 2.

The spur I is held centrally within the drawhead A by means of a wedge, J, Figs. 1 and 10, in conjunction with the tenon c, entering the mortise F, and the shank d of said spur, entering the recess H in the rear wall, E, said. wedge J being forced in between the lowerinclined edges of the guide-cheeks D D and the top surface of the spur-plate d, and the prongs j of said wedge J clinched into the notches g of said spur 1.

Within the cheeks D D is pivoted a lifter, K, (shown in detail in Fig. 8,) consisting of a flat piece of malleable metal having one end formed into a hook, i, said lifter being pivoted 'to the draw-head by a pin, L.

Nis the coupling-link, ofstandard width and thickness, secured to the (lraw-head by means of the spur I. The baseplate D of the drawhead A is thicker on its front edge than at the rear part, so that the link N, when lying flat upon said plate, is in a somewhat inclined position. The cross-section of the link N, in its forward bend,is preferably chisel-shaped, as shown in Figs. 1 and 9.

The operation of this car-coupling is sub stantially as follows: Supposing the links N being down, restingupon the base-plate B, and, therefore, in a slightly-inclined position, and the cars pushed together for coupling. Now, as soon as the two opposite links, Fig. 9, meet they will be caused to slide, one upon the other,

;until the lower one reaches the inclined surface 2 of the spur I, when it will travel up the incline, lifting the other, until the one being lifted is brought into a vertical position. By this time the lifting-link has passed the projections c 011 the rear side of spur I and dropped down behind said spur, in which case coupling has taken place. As a matter of course one link only makes connection with the opposite drawhead.

It will now be readily observed that this coupling is effected without any manual assistance, and that, therefore, the danger connected with the coupling of cars has been avoided. To uncouple the cars, they are again pushed gco together to slacken the links and cause the one engaged to travel uptheincline 1 on the guide cheeks D D. Now, the lifter K is operated by means of any suitable mechanism, (not shown,)

which lifter will take hold of said link, finding it wherever it may be, and lift it upward until it strikes the tongue i, and then drops into the nearly-circular crotch i, in which position (see Fig. 7) the link will be upheld by the lifter K until the cars are separated, when said lifter will descend and deposit the link upon and prevent its dropping back behind said spur. In this manner uncoupling is also automatically effected, with the exception of lifting the link from behind the spur I. As soon as the lifter has deposited thelink upon the spur and the uncoupling has been accomplished it will drop back between the guide-cheeks by its own gravity, leaving the device in position ready for another coupling.

In case the links N should stand in a vertical position when coupling is being effected, the momentum of the moving car will cause one or the other of said links being thrown over, and thus connection to be made, so that no matter in what position the links may be, coupling will automatically take place.

I now call attention to the fact that the spur I has side projections, 00 .1, Figs. 3 and 5. which rest upon the base B. These side projections serve as guides for the link N, so that it will project properly from the draw-head when in a nearly horizontal position.

I furthermore call attention to the fact that the links N being of standard width connections may be made at any time with the ordinary link-and-pin coupling by allowing my link N to enter the old draw-head and engaging it with the coupling-pin.

In some cases it might be possible that the projecting ends of the links would become blunted from continued use. In such case coupling could not take place, because the links could not pass one another, and, with sufficient force, become distorted. To avoid this obstacle Ihave inclined the base B, upon which the links rests, so that both links, when meeting squarely, will rise together until preponderance of weight or other causes allows one of them to drop under the other, and thus to proceed with the couplin To avoid the meeting of the links squarely as much as possible I shape them chisel-like, as shown in Fig. 9.

It will be readily observed that since one link only is used in coupling and uncoupling it will not matter seriously if one of them should be broken or lost, because all the means necessary for coupling will be complete if one link is left. Two of them, howeverthat is, one of them in each draw-headare necessary,

' because if one draw-head were left without a link. If both links should be broken, as for instance in cases of accidents, &e., connections may be temporarily effected by using one of the common spare links usually carried on freight, &c., trains. In fact, my coupling is capable of being used entirely without my pivoted link N. This feature can be accomplished by using a common link and dropping it behind the spur I in the opposite drawheads. In this case the cars, when being coupled, are simply run together, and then the link dropped in position. This method of coupling would avoid the dangers connected with uncoupling, but would be open to other objections too obvious to require citation.

It will now be further observed that when the cars are pushed together ready for uncoupling the link not engaged stands in a vertical position, and thereby indicates that that coupling is the one to be operated upon to lift the link from the spur. This might at first appear to be a small matter only; but if it is borne in mind that at some central freightdepots some hundreds ofcars have to be coupled and uncoupled during the day, even a small saving in time, &e., will, in theaggregate, be a large consideration in course of time. In the coupling operation the links slide upon the incline 2 on the spur I, and in order to present no obstacle of any kind to the movement of the links I have provided the said spur with the projection I), which, entering the notch G in the base 13, makes the front inclined surface 2 of the draw-head an unbroken one, thus avoiding any possibility of the link getting caught in joints, &c., and thereby prevented from properly performing its functions.

Instead of inclining the bottom of the drawhead, I may use links having their front end slightly curved, whereby the same result would be produced as that of the inclined bottomthat is to say, to avoid the links meeting in a right line. Such curved links, however, are more or less objectionable, and I have therefore resorted to the means described to accomplish the desired result.

In coupling cars it does not matter whether or not they are of equal height, because coupling and uncoupling can be readily effected in either case.

A special feature of my car-couplin g is that it is all self-contained and requires no loose link, &c., for making connection, thus avoiding a serious objection to the common link-and-pin couplingviz., theloss oflinks and pins,which, during the year, forms quite a large item in the running expense of a railroad. It also saves the time lost in adjusting and looking after loose links, &c., and is a positive assurance to railroad-men that all the parts necessary for coupling are at all times in their proper place, without first going to inspect the couplings.

The rearwardly-pointing projections c on the spur I perform a double function-viz., that of first preventing the link from dropping back behind the spur after it is raised by the lifter K, and. secondly, preventing the link from slipping off the spur while the train is going ahead. This is a very important feature, since without said projections the jar, &c., of the cars might cause the link to disengage from the spur, and thereby to break the train.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure to me by Letters Patent of the United States- 1. In car-couplings, a draw-head having an open top and front, a spur placed centrally within the said draw-head, an inclined surface behind said spur which will cause the link to travel upward when the cars are pushed together, and a litter to engage the link for uncoupling, substantially as described.

2. In a ear-coupling, adraw-head having an open top and aspur, substantially as described, placed centrally within the head, an inclined surface in rear of the spur, and a lifter placed between the checks of said incline, the whole being constructed for operation substantially as and for the purpose specified.

8. In car-couplings, the combination, with the draw-head A, having an open top and front, of the spur I, composed of the standard (1/, having an inclined front, 2, and two rearwardly pointing projections, 0, having between them a space for the passage of a lifter, K, and the link N, said lifter beln g pivoted to the draw-head and constructed to pass through the space between the rearwardlypointing projections of said spur, as and for the object stated.

4. In car-couplings, a spur, substantially as described, consisting of the standard a, havin g the inclined front 2 and rearwardly-pointing projections b, tenon e, and shank at, said spur being inserted into the draw-head A, as stated, and retained in position by the wedge J, as specified.

5. A draw-head having an open top and front, and on its rear wall inclined guide-cheeks D D, within which is pivoted a lifter, K, said guide-cheeks being operated upon by the link N, and the latter by the lifter K, as and for the object stated.

6. A draw-head having an open top and front, and on its rear Wall inclined guide-cheeks D D, with the pivoted lifter K, in combination with the spur I and link N, as stated.

7. A draw-head having an open top and front, and on its rear wall inclined guide-cheeks provided with the lifter K, in combination with the spur I and the link N, said link N being pivoted to the draw-head A, as specified.

8. In cancouplings, a spur having rearwardly-pointing projections c, in combination with a lifter, K, a crotch, 11', arranged to engage the link N and to deposit it upon saidprojections, as stated.

9. In car-couplings, alifter having a crotch, i, of more than a half-circle, and a tongue, t,

in front of said crotch, in combination with the link N, as and for the object specified, said lifter being pivoted between cheeks the front edge of which is inclined, as specified.

10. The spur I, having side projections, w w,

to retain the link N in a position rectilinear with the longitudinal center-line of a railwaycar, and two rearwardly-pointing projections, c c, to prer'ent the opposite link from disengaging said spur, said projections having a space between them for the passage of a lifter,

K, substantially as and for the use and purpose stated.

11. The wedge J, having two prongs,j, in combination with the spur I, having notches g, said prongs being adapted to be clinched into said notches on both sides of the spur I, as and for the object mentioned.

12. The combination, with a draw-head, and a link secured therein, of a hook or spur adapted to receive the link of the opposite draw-head,

and arranged centrally in the draw-head, and constructed with a rearwardly-projecting extension which overlaps the inner end of the link attached to the draw-head, whereby the link is secured in the draw-head, substantially as set forth.

13. The combination, in a car-coupling, of two draw-heads, each having an open top and front, a spur placed centrally within each drawhead, and a link pivoted with its rear end to 5 each draw-head, the links of both draw-heads being arranged in line with each other and having their free front ends held higher than their pivoted rear ends, whereby the front ends of the links, when they come in contact with each other, are compelled to rise together until, by preponderance of weight or some other cause, one link passes under the other and e11- gages over the spur, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention 1 have hereto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

Attest: JOHN G. MATHEWS.

MIOHAEL J. STARK, HA'ITIE L. WALKER. 

